Geolocationing system and method for use of same

ABSTRACT

A geolocationing system and method for providing awareness in a multi-space environment, such as a hospitality environment or educational environment, are presented. In one embodiment of the geolocationing system, a vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices is provided. Each gateway device includes a gateway device identification providing an accurately-known fixed location within the multi-space environment. Each gateway device includes a wireless transceiver that receives a beacon signal from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The gateway devices, in turn, send gateway signals to a server, which determines estimated location of the wireless-enabled personal locator device.

PRIORITY STATEMENT & CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 63/132,664, entitled “Geolocationing System andMethod for Use of Same,” filed on Dec. 31, 2020, in the name of WilliamC. Fang; which is hereby incorporated by reference, in entirety, for allpurposes. This application is also a continuation in part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/130,134, entitled “Geolocationing System andMethod for Use of Same,” filed on Dec. 22, 2020, in the names of ThomasR. Miller et al.; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/731,394 entitled, “Geolocationing System and Method for Use of Same”in the names of Thomas R. Miller, et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 10,873,767issued on Dec. 22, 2020; which claims priority from U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/787,412 entitled “Geolocationing System andMethod for Use of Same” filed on Jan. 2, 2019, in the name of William C.Fang; which is hereby incorporated by reference, in entirety, for allpurposes. Application Ser. No. 16/731,394 is also a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/201,783 entitled “Set-Top Box,System and Method for Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment”filed on Nov. 27, 2018, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S.Pat. No. 10,602,196 issued on Mar. 24, 2020; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/652,622 entitled “Set-Top Box,System and Method for Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment”filed on Jul. 18, 2017, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S.Pat. No. 10,142,662 issued on Nov. 27, 2018; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/165,851 entitled “Set-Top Box,System and Method for Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment”filed on May 26, 2016, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S.Pat. No. 9,712,872 issued on Jul. 18, 2017; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/461,479 entitled “Set-Top Box,System and Method for Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment”filed on Aug. 18, 2014, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S.Pat. No. 9,357,254 issued on May 31, 2016; which claims priority fromU.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/935,862 entitled “System and Methodfor Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment” and filed on Feb.5, 2014, in the name of Vanessa Ogle; all of which are herebyincorporated by reference, in entirety, for all purposes.

This application discloses subject matter related to the subject matterdisclosed in the following commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/554,359 entitled “Geolocationing System andMethod for Use of Same,” filed on Dec. 17, 2021, in the names of WilliamC. Fang et al.; which is hereby incorporated by reference, in entirety,for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to geolocationing and, inparticular, to enhanced performance in systems and methods for providingawareness and safety in a multi-room environment such as a hospitalityenvironment, educational environment, or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the background willbe described in relation to employee safety in hospitality environments,as an example. Employees face increased personal security risks at workin multi-room environments such as hospitality environments, whichinclude motels, hotels, and the like, for example. Such hospitalityindustry employees often work alone and range over large interior areasthat may be divided into many small, closed spaces. As a result oflimited existing security measures, there is a need for improved systemsand methods of providing awareness and safety in hospitalityenvironments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to achieve systems and methods for providinggeolocationing in a multi-room environment such as a hospitalityenvironment, educational environment, or the like that would improveupon existing limitations in functionality. It would be desirable toenable an electrical engineering-based and software solution that wouldprovide enhanced awareness and safety in an easy-to-use platform in thehospitality lodging industry or in another environment. To betteraddress one or more of these concerns, a geolocationing system andmethod for use of the same are disclosed.

In one embodiment of the geolocationing system, a vertical andhorizontal array of gateway devices is provided. Each gateway deviceincludes a gateway device identification providing an accurately-knownfixed location within the multi-space environment. Each gateway deviceincludes a wireless transceiver that receives a beacon signal from aproximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The gateway devices,in turn, send gateway signals to a server, which determine estimatedlocation of the wireless-enabled personal location. These and otheraspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated withreference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of thepresent invention, reference is now made to the detailed description ofthe invention along with the accompanying figures in which correspondingnumerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1A is schematic building diagram depicting one embodiment of ageolocationing system for providing awareness in a multi-roomenvironment illustrated as a hotel, according to the teachings presentedherein;

FIG. 1B is a schematic floor plan depicting a floor of the hotelpresented in FIG. 1A in further detail;

FIG. 1C is a schematic floor plan depicting a floor of the hotelpresented in FIG. 1A during an alert event;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of thegeolocationing system presented in FIG. 1A providing enhanced awarenessand safety functionality therewith according to the teachings presentedherein;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of apersonal locator device depicted in FIG. 2 in further detail;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram depicting another embodiment of apersonal locator device depicted in FIG. 2 in further detail;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of agateway device, a thermostat, presented in FIGS. 1A;

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of agateway device, gateway service devices, presented in FIGS. 1A;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of theserver presented in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 8A is a data processing diagram depicting one embodiment of thegeolocationing system according to the teachings presented herein;

FIG. 8B is a state diagram depicting one embodiment of thegeolocationing system presented in FIG. 8A; and

FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method forproviding a gateway device furnishing enhanced safety according to theteachings presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts, whichcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the presentinvention.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 2 , therein is depicted ageolocationing system for providing awareness in a multi-spaceenvironment such as a hospitality environment, which may be embodied asa furnished multi-family residence, dormitory, lodging establishment,hotel, hospital, which is schematically illustrated and designated 10.The multi-space environment may also be a multi-unit environment such asan educational environment like a school or college campus, for example.More generally, the geolocationing system 10 and the teachings presentedherein are applicable to any multi-space environment includinghospitality environments, educational campuses, hospital campuses,office buildings, multi-unit dwellings, sport facilities, and shoppingmalls, for example.

As shown, by way of example and not by way of limitation, themulti-space environment is depicted as a hotel H having a lobby andfloors F, which are appropriately labeled the 2^(nd) floor through the10^(th) floor. Further, by way of example, the 4^(th) floor is depictedwith rooms 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415,416, 417. Additionally, a common area near the elevators is labeled E, ahallway labeled P, and a stairwell is labeled S. The lobby, the commonarea E, the hallway P, and the stairwell S are further illustrations ofspaces in the multi-space environment in addition to the rooms 401, 402,403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417.

Gateway devices 12 are deployed as part of a horizontal and verticalarray, which is generally a spatial array, throughout the hotel H. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the gateway devices 12, and moregenerally deployment of the geolocationing system 10, may include ahorizontal array. Further, the deployment may be in a single story,multiple stories, or a combination thereof. As will be discussed infurther detail hereinbelow, the gateway devices 12 may includethermostats 14, a gateway service device 16, or a common space gatewaydevice 18.

Individuals, such as I₁, I₂, I₃, carry proximate wireless-enabledpersonal locator devices 20 which periodically, or on demand, transmitbeacons that are received by the gateway devices 12. The proximatewireless-enabled personal locator devices 20 may be a single buttonpersonal locator device or a proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device, such as a smart watch, a smart phone, or a tabletcomputer, for example. In one embodiment, the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device may be a wireless-enabled smart andinteractive handheld device that may be supplied or carried by the useror guest. As shown individual I₂ works in the hospitality industry athotel H and is presently working on the 4^(th) floor. As the individualI₂ is working in room 404, the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20 is transmitting beacons that are received by gatewaydevices 12, such as the thermostat 14 that is located within the room404 and the gateway service device 16 located in hallway P on the 4^(th)floor of the hotel H.

As shown, the gateway device 12 in the room 404 is the thermostat 14,which may be an information appliance device that generally monitors andcontrols heating and cooling in the hotel H, or a portion thereof, to asetpoint temperature, which is adjustable, through communication betweenthe thermostat and an HVAC system. The thermostat 14 may becommunicatively disposed with various amenities associated with thehotel H as well as the geolocationing system 10 providing a geolocationand safety network. The gateway device 12 in the common area nearelevators E of the 4^(th) floor is the gateway service device 16 and thecommon space gateway device 18 is also in the common area near elevatorsE of the 4^(th) floor. The gateway service device 16 may becommunicatively disposed with various amenities associated with thehotel H as well as the geolocationing system 10 providing thegeolocation and safety network. The common space gateway device 18 mayinclude a limited set of functionality as compared to the gatewayservice device 16. The limited functionality, however, includesconnectivity to the geolocationing system 10 providing the geolocationand safety network. Gateway devices, like the gateway device 12,including the thermostat 14, the gateway service device 16, and thecommon space gateway device 18, may be deployed throughout the spaces,rooms, and other areas of the hotel H.

As mentioned, each of the gateway devices 12, including the thermostats14, the gateway service devices 16, and the common space gateway devices18, have a data link via a network 22 to a server 24 which is providinga geolocation and safety network. In one implementation, the individualI₂ has the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20, whichmay transmit a beacon signal B from the proximate wireless-enabledpersonal locator device 20 using a wireless standard, such as Wi-Fi, tothe gateway devices 12. Each of the gateway devices 12, including thethermostat 14 and the gateway service device 16, then processes thereceived beacon signal B and sends a gateway signal to the server 24.The server 24 receives the gateway signals and uses multiple gatewaysignals for determining the estimated location of the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device 20 of the individual I₂. Theserver 24, in turn, sends out the appropriate notifications to variousphones 26, activates alarms 28, or notify others via a computer 30,depending on the situation. As a spatial array of horizontal andvertical gateway devices 12 are provided, the server 24 andgeolocationing system 10 presented herein is able to determine thelocation of the individual associated with the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device 20 within a building. Asparticularly illustrated in FIG. 1C and 2 , the individual I₂ is in needof emergency assistance and activates the proximate wireless-enabledpersonal locator device 20. In one implementation, beacon signals B arereceived by all nearby gateway devices 12, which in turn forward gatewaysignals to the server 24 for processing and determining the estimatedlocation. The estimated location includes which floor F the individualis presently located as well as the room or common area near elevators Eand the presence of a status or an alarm, such as Alarm A. In oneembodiment, this information may be generated by the server 24 in theform of a map view 32, which includes a graphical representation of themulti-space environment that is annotated with the estimated location ofthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the proximate wireless-enabled personal locatordevice 20 may be a wireless communication device of the type includingvarious fixed, mobile, and/or portable devices. To expand rather thanlimit the previous discussion of the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 20, such devices may include, but arenot limited to, cellular or mobile telephones, two-way radios, personaldigital assistants, digital music players, Global Positioning Systemunits, tablet computers, smartwatches, and so forth. The proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 may include aprocessor 40, memory 42, storage 44, and a transceiver 46 interconnectedby a busing architecture 48 that also supports a display 50, I/O panel52, and a camera 54. It should be appreciated that although a particulararchitecture is explained, other designs and layouts are within theteachings presented herein.

In operation, the teachings presented herein permit a proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20, such as a smartphone or simple transmitter, to communicate with the thermostat 14 thatis able to relay an alert with location information to the server 24 andsecurity or other individuals needing to know about the emergency. Inone operational embodiment being described, the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 may be “paired” on atemporary basis to the thermostat 14 on a room-by-room basis, wherebythe pairing changes as the hospitality employee's location changes. Asshown, the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20includes the memory 42 accessible to the processor 40 and the memory 42includes processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor 40 to send beacon signals B. The proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 may on-demand orperiodically transmit the beacon signal B including a data packet, theprogrammable device identification, as well as a mode of operationidentification.

Referring to FIG. 4 , with respect to the simplified proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20, a processor 60,memory 62, storage 64, and a transceiver 66 are supported by aninterconnected busing architecture 68. An emergency button 70 providesthe activation that triggers the alert. As shown, the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device includes the memory 62accessible to the processor 60 and the memory 62 includesprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 60 to send beacon signals B. The proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 20 may on-demand or periodicallytransmit the beacon signal B including a data packet having theprogrammable device identification as well as a mode of operationidentification. In one embodiment, responsive to the activation of theemergency button 70, the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 20 immediately transmits the beacon signal Bincluding a data packet having the programmable device identification aswell as a mode of operation identification, i.e., an emergency alert.

Referring to FIG. 5 , by way of example, the thermostat 14 may be awall-mounted unit that is an informational appliance withInternet-of-things (IoT) functionality that generally containsconvenience and data capabilities in addition to monitoring andcontrolling heating and cooling in a room or other environment to asetpoint temperature. The thermostat 14 may include a processor 80,memory 82, storage 84, and one or more transceivers 86 interconnected bya busing architecture 88 within a mounting architecture that supportsinputs 90 and outputs 92. It should be understood that the processor 80,the memory 82, the storage 84, the inputs 90, and the outputs 92 may beentirely contained within a housing or a housing-dongle combination. Theprocessor 80 may process instructions for execution within a computingdevice, including instructions stored in the memory 82 or in the storage84. The memory 82 stores information within the computing device. In oneimplementation, the memory 82 is a volatile memory unit or units. Inanother implementation, the memory 82 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits. Storage 84 provides capacity that is capable of providing massstorage for the thermostat 14. The various inputs 90 and outputs 92provide connections to and from the computing device, wherein the inputs90 are the signals or data received by the thermostat 14, and theoutputs 92 are the signals or data sent from the thermostat 14.Thermostat circuitry 94 is also secured in the housing and coupled tothe busing architecture 88 in order to communicate with the HVAC systemto monitor and control heating and cooling to a setpoint temperature.

The one or more transceivers 86 are associated with the thermostat 14and communicatively disposed with the busing architecture 88. Thetransceivers 86 may be internal, external, or a combination thereof tothe housing. Further, the transceivers 86 may be a transmitter/receiver,receiver, or an antenna for example. Communication between variousdevices and the thermostat 14 may be enabled by a variety of wirelessmethodologies employed by the transceivers 86, including 802.11, 3G, 4G,Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth lowenergy, and Bluetooth, for example. Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized.

The memory 82 and storage 84 are accessible to the processor 80 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 80 to execute a series of operations. With respect to theprocessor-executable instructions, the processor 80 is caused to receiveand process the beacon signal B including a personal location deviceidentification. More particularly, the processor-executable instructionscause the processor 80 to receive the beacon signal B via a wirelesstransceiver from the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device20. The processor-executable instructions then cause the processor 80 tomeasure received signal characteristics of the beacon signal B. Theinstructions may then cause the processor 80 to generate a gatewaysignal including the personal location device identification, a gatewaydevice identification, and a signal characteristics indicator, includingthe received signal characteristics of the beacon signal B. Finally, theinstructions may cause the processor 80 to send the gateway signal tothe server 24.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the gateway device 12 may be the gateway servicedevice 16 that is an information appliance device that does not includetelevision-tuner functionality and generally contains convenience andsafety functionality. The gateway service device 16 includes a processor100, memory 102, storage 104, and transceivers 106 interconnected by abusing architecture 108 within a mounting architecture that supportsinputs 110 and outputs 112. The processor 100 may process instructionsfor execution within the computing device, including instructions storedin the memory 102 or in the storage 104. The memory 102 storesinformation within the computing device. In one implementation, thememory 102 is a volatile memory unit or units. In anotherimplementation, the memory 102 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.Storage 104 provides capacity that is capable of providing mass storagefor the gateway device 12. The various inputs 110 and outputs 112provide connections to and from the computing device, wherein the inputs110 are the signals or data received by the gateway device 12, and theoutputs 112 are the signals or data sent from the gateway device 12.

One or more transceivers 106 may be associated with the gateway device12 and communicatively disposed with the busing architecture 108. Thetransceivers 106 may be internal, external, or a combination thereof tothe housing. Further, the transceivers 106 may be atransmitter/receiver, receiver, or an antenna for example. Communicationbetween various amenities in the hotel room and the gateway device 12may be enabled by a variety of wireless methodologies employed by thetransceivers 106, including 802.11, 802.15, 802.15.4, 3G, 4G, Edge,Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth low energy,and Bluetooth, for example. Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized.

The memory 102 and storage 104 are accessible to the processor 100 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 100 to execute a series of operations. With respect to theprocessor-executable instructions, the processor 100 is caused toreceive and process a beacon signal B including a personal locationdevice identification. More particularly, the processor-executableinstructions cause the processor 100 to receive a beacon signal B viathe wireless transceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20. The processor-executable instructions then cause theprocessor 100 to measure a received signal characteristic of the beaconsignal B. The instructions may then cause the processor 100 to generatea gateway signal including the personal location device identification,a gateway device identification, and signal characteristics indicator.Finally, the instructions may cause the processor 100 to send thegateway signal to the server 24.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , one embodiment of the server 24 as a computingdevice includes a processor 120, memory 122, storage 124, and one ormore network adapters 126 interconnected with various buses 128 in acommon or distributed, for example, mounting architecture, that supportsinputs 130 and support outputs 132. In other implementations, in thecomputing device, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used,as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory, aswell as multiple storages and types of storage. Further still, in otherimplementations, multiple computing devices may be provided andoperations distributed therebetween. The processor 120 may processinstructions for execution within the server 24, including instructionsstored in the memory 122 or in storage 124. The memory 122 storesinformation within the computing device. In one implementation, thememory 122 is a volatile memory unit or units. In anotherimplementation, the memory 122 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.Storage 124 includes capacity that is capable of providing mass storagefor the server 24. The various inputs 130 and outputs 132 provideconnections to and from the server 24, wherein the inputs 130 are thesignals or data received by the server 24, and the outputs 132 are thesignals or data sent from the server 24. The network adaptor 126 couplesthe server 24 to a network such that the server 24 may be part of anetwork of computers, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network(WAN), an intranet, a network of networks, or the Internet, for example.

The memory 122 and storage 124 are accessible to the processor 120 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 120 to execute a series of operations. In one embodiment ofprocessor-executable instructions, the processor-executable instructionscause the processor 120 to receive a plurality of gateway signals from aplurality of gateway devices of the vertical and horizontal array. Theprocessor 120 is caused to process the plurality of gateway signals anddetermine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20. The processor 120 may also be caused to annotate thegraphical representation of the multi-space environment with location ofthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20, and annotatethe graphical representation of the room with the alert notification.

FIG. 8A illustrates one embodiment of signalization and data transfer.As shown, an interactive handheld device transmits data packet 150,which is a beacon signal B, including a device indicator 152 and a modeof operation indicator 154. The interactive handheld device alsotransmits data packet 156, which is a beacon signal B, including adevice indicator 158 and a mode of operation indicator 160. The datapackets 150, 156 are received by gateway devices; namely, thermostatTHS-1 and thermostat THS-n. The gateway device THS-1 then establishesdata packet 162, including the device indicator 152, the mode ofoperation indicator 154, gateway device identification 164 (THS-1), andsignal characteristic 166 (SC-1). Similarly, the gateway device THS-nthen establishes data packet 168, including the device indicator 158,the mode of operation indicator 160, a gateway device identification 170(THS-n), and a signal characteristic 172 (SC-n).

The data packets 162, 168, which are gateway signals, are transmitted tothe server 24 and the server 24 analyzes the data packets 162, 168 anddetermines the estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 20. The server 24 then sends out signal174, which includes the estimated geolocation 176 and the appropriateaction 178.

FIG. 8B depicts one embodiment of a state diagram 180 of the states ofthe geolocationing system 10, which include an alert mode of operation182, a service request mode of operation 184, and atracking/non-tracking update mode of operation 186. As will beappreciated, the modes of operation may overlap or, to a partial or fullextent be combined. In the alert mode of operation 182, a user of aproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 may sendan alert to indicate distress. In the service request mode of operation184, the user may send a service along with the location information.The tracking/non-tracking update mode 186 indicates the level of privacythe user expects and how much of the location history will be saved.

FIG. 9 depicts one embodiment of a method for providing safety in ahospitality environment or other environment, according to the teachingspresented herein. The methodology starts at block 218, where itprogresses through block 200, where an array of gateway devices isdeployed vertically and horizontally throughout the hospitalityenvironment. At block 202, beacon signals are periodically transmittedfrom personal location devices and received by the gateway devices.

At block 204, the beacon signals are received and processed at thegateway device. The beacon signals may include a personal locationdevice identification corresponding to the device being employed by auser. In one embodiment, signal strength between the beacon transmissionof the thermostats and the common area beacons at the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device is measured. In otherembodiments, phase angle measurements or flight time measurements may beutilized. At block 206, broadcast signals are sent from the gatewaydevices to a server that is part of the geolocation and safety network.The broadcast signals may include the personal location deviceidentification, gateway device identification, and signal characteristicindicators. At block 208, the server receives and processes thebroadcast signals to determine an estimated location. At decision block210, the server takes action based on the mode of operation. In a firstmode of operation at block 212, a service request is associated with thelocation of the user utilizing the location of the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device such as the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device as a proxy prior toblock 220, the methodology ending. In a second mode of operation atblock 214, an emergency alert is sent and appropriate, subsequentnotification occurs at block 216 prior to the block 220. The emergencyalert includes an indication of distress and the location of the userutilizing the location of the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device as a proxy. In a third mode of operation at block218, the map of an individual is updated with the location of the userwith, if privacy settings being enabled, the system maintains theprivacy of the individual working in the hospitality environment suchthat the system only retains in memory the last known position and timeof the user-supplied proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmabledevice prior to the block 220. Further, in this mode of operation, thesystem does not reveal the location of the individual and programmabledevice unless and until an alert is issued.

The order of execution or performance of the methods and data flowsillustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwisespecified. That is, elements of the methods and data flows may beperformed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and that the methodsmay include more or less elements than those disclosed herein. Forexample, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particularelement before, contemporaneously with, or after another element are allpossible sequences of execution.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention,will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claimsencompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing awareness in a multi-spaceenvironment, the system comprising: a vertical and horizontal array ofgateway devices, each gateway device being positioned within a space inthe multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gateway deviceidentification providing an accurately-known fixed location; eachgateway device of the vertical and horizontal array including: ahousing, a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, a processorlocated within the housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver,memory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless transceiver froma proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device, the beacon signalincluding a personal locator device identification, measure a signalcharacteristic of the beacon signal, transmit a gateway signal to aserver, the gateway signal including the personal locator deviceidentification and the gateway device identification.
 2. The system asrecited in claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured tocommunicate with a standard selected from the group consisting ofinfrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near fieldcommunications (NFC), Bluetooth, and Bluetooth low energy.
 3. The systemas recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device further comprises aplurality of wireless transceivers.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the gateway device further comprises a thermostat.
 5. The systemas recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device further comprises athermostat, the thermostat having thermostat circuitry to monitor andcontrol heating and cooling to a setpoint temperature.
 6. The system asrecited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device further comprises acommon space gateway device.
 7. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the gateway device further comprises a gateway service device.8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device further comprises a singlebutton personal locator device.
 9. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device furthercomprises a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device.10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device further comprises adevice selected from the group consisting of smart watches, smartphones, and tablet computers.
 11. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the server further comprises a back-office hotel server incommunication with the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices.12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server furthercomprises a cloud-based server in communication with the vertical andhorizontal array of gateway devices.
 13. The system as recited in claim1, wherein the gateway signal further comprises received signal strengthmeasurement.
 14. The system as recited claim 1, wherein the systemfurther comprises an operational mode selected from the group consistingof alerts-enabled, service request-enabled, tracking-enabled, andnon-tracking-enabled.
 15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein inthe alerts-enabled mode, the server receives a distress signal from theproximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.
 16. The system asrecited in claim 14, wherein in the service-request-enabled mode, theserver receives a service request from the proximate wireless-enabledpersonal locator device.
 17. The system as recited in claim 14, whereinin the tracking-enabled mode, the server maintains in memory a pluralityof estimated locations with timestamps associated with the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device.
 18. The system as recited inclaim 14, wherein in the non-tracking-enabled mode, the server maintainsin memory only the last known locations with timestamps associated withthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.
 19. A system forproviding awareness in a multi-space environment, the system comprising:an array of gateway devices, each gateway device being positioned withina space in the multi-space environment, each gateway device having agateway device identification providing an accurately-known fixedlocation; a portion of the array of gateway devices being thermostats,each thermostat having thermostat circuitry to monitor and controlheating and cooling to a setpoint temperature; each gateway device ofthe array of gateway devices including: a housing, a wirelesstransceiver associated with the housing, a first processor locatedwithin the housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver, a firstmemory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless transceiver froma proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device, the beacon signalincluding a personal locator device identification, measure a signalcharacteristic of the beacon signal, transmit a gateway signal to aserver, the gateway signal including the personal locator deviceidentification, the gateway device identification, and received signalstrength measurement; and the server located in communication with thevertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the server including:a second processor, and a second memory accessible to the processor, thememory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: receive a plurality of gateway signals from aplurality of gateway devices of the array, process the plurality ofgateway signals, and determine estimated location of the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device.
 20. A system for providingawareness in a multi-space environment, the system comprising: an arrayof gateway devices, each gateway device being positioned within a spacein the multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gatewaydevice identification providing an accurately-known fixed location; aportion of the array of gateway devices being thermostats, eachthermostat having thermostat circuitry to monitor and control heatingand cooling to a setpoint temperature; each gateway device of thevertical and horizontal array including: a housing, a wirelesstransceiver associated with the housing, a first processor locatedwithin the housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver, a firstmemory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless transceiver froma proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device, the beacon signalincluding a personal locator device identification, measure a signalcharacteristic of the beacon signal, transmit a gateway signal to aserver, the gateway signal including the personal locator deviceidentification, the gateway device identification, and received signalstrength measurement; and the server located in communication with thearray of gateway devices, the server including: a second processor, anda second memory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a plurality of gateway signals from a plurality ofgateway devices of the array, process the plurality of gateway signals,determine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device, activate an alert notification, render a map view of themulti-space environment, the map view including a graphicalrepresentation of the multi-space environment, annotate the graphicalrepresentation of the multi-space environment with location of theproximate wireless-enabled personal locator device, and annotate thegraphical representation of the room with the alert notification.